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NEIGHBORHOODS GET NEW SOLUTION FOR DEALING WITH PROPOSED
DEVELOPMENTS - LESS DISPUTING AND MORE ACCOMPLISHED
Dateline: January 26, 2006 ... Northampton, MA
Contact Name: Karl Kehde
Contact Phone: (908) 625-0638
E-mail: karl@landuse.org
Web site: http://landuse.org/
NORTHAMPTON, MA January 26, 2006 - When neighbors, city officials
and developers meet to discuss a proposed project such as a new condo
project or commercial development, friction among the three can be
time consuming and aggravating. It can also lead to costly litigation
as well as unappealing land development.
For the past 12 years, several foundations in concert with the New
Jersey Department of Community Affairs have funded independent
research to find a solution. And they discovered one. It's a do-it-
yourself, collaborative procedure that is led, surprisingly, by
neighbors of the proposed project.
Refreshing, creative thinking in land use decision-making can happen
when the neighborhood, developer, and city planner share ideas in a
friendly setting. It seems impossible yet, according to Karl Kehde, the
principle researcher who participated in more than 500 meetings
between neighbors, developers, and city officials, "When the neighbors
of a proposed project initiate this collaborative procedure, usually
everyone participates - regardless of past confrontation."
Kehde recently developed a website called Landuse.Org, which provides,
for free download, the guidebook needed to set up and succeed with the
new process. The website also provides a history of the research,
testimonials and success stories that came out of the research, and
other useful materials.
"There is a lot more room for cooperation than has ever been dreamed
possible. We get so fixated on our own interests and the potential
for conflict that it becomes a recipe for head-butting and we miss the
fact that there is huge common ground," said Dana Cochran, a neighbor
who used the procedure in New Jersey. With improved relationships
between the participants, development density and architecture can
change. Features like parks, recreational facilities, walk and bike
paths, and community buildings can be included to enhance the original
neighborhood.
"Achieving a sense of community among all land development
stakeholders is the road to the best economic growth," says Kehde,
"We discovered a step-by-step procedure that mends relationships
across the board and achieves profitable development designed
specifically to benefit the surrounding neighborhood. By using this
process, proposed land development can become the catalyst for
inclusive cooperation in a community. It's an effective resource
throughout project design and permitting."
The results of the research, including the step-by-step procedure and
supporting materials, may be downloaded free of charge from the
website http://landuse.org For more information contact Karl Kehde at
1020 Wells Street, Durham, NC 27707 or call 908-625-0638
or email: karl@landuse.org.
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